The Heart of Matter: Emergence
Tuesday, January 25th 2022
“Emergence points to the appearance of novel structures or forms in evolution. New things happen, and they are different from what already exists or has existed.”
—Ilia Delio, The Emergent Christ
* A special thank you to Lynda Cameron who graciously compiled the quotes used in those emails.
“La emergencia conduce a la aparición de nuevas estructuras o formas evolutivas. Suceden cosas nuevas, diferentes de las que ya existen o han existido.”
—Ilia Delio, The Emergent Christ
* A special thank you to our volunteer translators, Adriana Clavijo and Juan V. Fernandez de la Gala.
An Incarnational Practice: Moving
Emergence implies motion and our invitation to you this week is to bring this passage with you on a walk and see what emerges as your body moves.The mere act of putting one foot in front the other holding the text within, moves it from the head to the body where it becomes embodied. Any rhythmic movement which doesn’t require too much thinking will work for this practice.
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What is being revealed? What is being moved? What is being asked?
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I do like your understanding of emergence.That our encounter with other is mindful and compassionate. Thank you Mary.
“Jesus defines truth itself as relational rather than conceptual. He describes himself as one who is in absolute relationship with his “Father” (14:7, 9–10) and the Spirit who is in relationship to both (14:16–18). This rearranges the world of religion from arguments over ideas and concepts into a world of encounter, relationship, and presence to the face of the other.” Richard Rohr. So emergence for me is mindful compassionate interactions with other people, animals, and my environment as they emerge in my life.”And that changes everything”
Anything emerging creates movement. As I reflect on my life today, I am invited to become aware of the reality of my present moment thoughts and feelings. Called to listen deeply to my own senses. I feel called to trust God present in the realies of my life happenings. To be just present, love and accept life as it is. Thank you to others for their sharing.
What emerges for me in this practice is a sense of space and being in a particular place at a moment in time, which can become awareness of many such moments.
Evolution seems to be a double-edged sword. Indeed, it allows for the unfolding of new things like the potential for consciousness to emerge, and to do so along more inclusive and unitive lines. Yet at the same time, it is also characterized by powerful genetic and cognitive constraints and limitations that seem exceptionally difficult for humanity as a whole to overcome. Selection pressures appear more uniformly against humans having true perceptions of reality, or of themselves as short-sighted, motivated mainly by short-term (mainly sensory) satisfactions with a dumb-downed understanding of the space-time field as the interface that it is. Until now, divinity seems to have invested equally in revealing AND concealing itself at the same time, perhaps the latter even more so. Jesus hinted that this fact is indeed so, but stopped short of saying why (Matt. 13:10-17). What purpose might it serve God, or the evolutionary process itself, or for that matter the whole of humanity, to be blind and clueless as to their God-identity? So much tragedy has occurred as a result. Question: Since fossils show that 99% of all species who were once on the planet are now extinct, is the evolutionary process moving at a rate, and with enough enlightened folk in sufficient number, to exceed the accelerating rate of the planet becoming uninhabitable by its designated but neglectful stewards?
The timing of this request to experience an incarnational experience of “emergence through movement” (a walk) was indeed timely. Yesterday afternoon I went on a long walk/hike through one of the Natural Land Grant areas (in East Goshen). Although it was cold, the sun was shining! Full sunshine for several hours is a real gift at this time of year isn’t it?
The combination of being in the beauty of nature and walking with a firm intention (to be present, alive, attentive, awake) and an elevated emotion (so much coherent energy flowed through my heart/mind) was such a gift for myself.
Although there was not that much stillness (there was a bunch of music and teachings on this walking meditation) this coherence filled me with abundant joy and at the end I laid down on the cold/hard ground between a circle of trees for several minutes and allowed my body to rest, to receive, to resonate, to celebrate! It was a NEW “incarnational/mystical” experience)!
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